


Sakura Sunrise

by SgtLeppard



Category: Def Leppard, Touhou Project
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Youkai, Flashbacks, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, Red sunrise, Sakuya and Meiling are mentioned, Steve can sing, Steve works for Remilia, a flashback but close enough, does that even count as a tag?, oh well it does now, youkai!Steve Clark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-08-21
Packaged: 2018-08-10 05:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7832899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SgtLeppard/pseuds/SgtLeppard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve takes a moment to reflect on a rare red-coloured sunrise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sakura Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> I got struck with this idea when, you guessed it, the morning sky here was red. I was wondering, what would youkai!Steve do during one such sunrise? Hence what you see here. Feel free to message me about any context on Steve's background in regards to the Touhou AU
> 
> This is the first time I tried doing this kind of a flashback with small bits of the present mixed in. The flashback itself is italicised while the present parts inserted are regular. I hope it comes across well!

Steve stared out of the window, gazing beyond the mansion's gate. The sun was rising, and it was one of those rarer moments when the sunrise was red coloured, tinting everything in sight shades of red and pink. He loved mornings like this. It was absolutely beautiful outside. Everything was picturesque. Well, aside from Meiling sleeping at her post again. But he could overlook that for now.

Mismatched eyes continued to look out at the horizon. Soon the sun would come into view and the red-stained sky would fade to its usual blue while the yellow rays of the sun would shine on the fields of Gensoukyo. It was a shame, he thought, that red sunrises didn't last long and weren't as common as red sunsets. If only the mornings could stay as red and vibrant as the sakura trees. But life wasn't fair. Steve knew that all too well.

Despite the general unfairness of life, he had to admit that he'd gotten a lot of great things, met a lot of great people, done so much great stuff. Most people who were rockstars like he was would attest to that. Though not many could say that they were a demon and their continued existence was unnatural in the human world. It wasn't a fact that he was particularly proud of. Most of his life, he didn't know he had any youkai blood in him, and if someone were to tell him that before coming here, he'd think the person was crazy. Oh wait, that actually happened.

Steve didn't linger on his youkai heritage as he continued to watch the red sky. It reminded him of another time, another place. Things were simpler back then. The band were writing a collection of songs that would later come to be known as the High 'n' Dry album. It was on a morning like this that he developed the main arpeggio for Bringin' on the Heartbreak. He drummed his fingers along the hilt of his sword, humming the lyrics softly as he continued to reminisce. He could remember the red-stained light of the twilight sky filtering in through the bedroom window. Sav's bedroom window. Steve smiled at the memory. It had been a pleasant night and morning, since he was staying at Sav's house. It wasn't the first time he had stayed over, nor was it the last. The first time was one of the greatest moments in Steve's life at the time. The last time was pleasant as well, but that had been a long time ago. 25 years. Had it really only been that long? It seemed much longer than that. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why the days seemed much longer. Maybe because he wasn't a rockstar anymore and things weren't as hectic here. Almost like that red morning in 1980. They weren't big yet, but they were going to be.

The red sky was beginning to turn slightly orange as the sun neared the horizon. He closed his eyes for a brief moment as he remembered.

_Sav had woken up to the sound of a guitar being played. He sat up, stretching and rubbing his bleary eyes. "Whatcha writing, love?"_

_Steve chuckled as he continued to work out the kinks. "Something."_

_"There's already a song called 'Something', mate."_

_Steve giggled a little more and shook his head at the joke. "Remember those lyrics Joe penned the other day?"_

_The bassist nodded, "Yeah, why?"_

_"I kinda have that in mind. Ah, I think I got it."_

_Sav scooched closer to his lover. "Let's hear it."_

_"Alright then." Steve moved a little bit to get comfortable, moving a sore leg over the edge of the bed. That's what you get for sitting cross-legged for an extended period of time. His back was sore as well, but that was for an entirely different reason. How his arms weren't sore from their lovemaking the night before_ \-- he smiled fondly at the memory -- _was a mystery to him, but it meant he could play._

_And play he did, the notes echoing softly from the acoustic guitar as he strummed. "Gypsy, sittin', lookin' pretty. A broken rose with laughin' eyes..." The sung lyrics weren't coming from Sav. The guitarist continued playing the arpeggio a few times while he sang the verse. At some point, he stopped. "What do you think?"_

_"Oh! Um...!" Sav had once again been caught in a daze thanks to Steve's singing, but at least he was paying attention. "I love it."_

_Steve smiled, "Are you sure that's an objective opinion and not you just saying it because you're my boyfriend?"_

_Sav couldn't help but giggle. "It's a bit of both."_

_"A bit?" Steve laughed softly._

_After a moment, the bassist finally composed himself. "I really do think the guys will like it. Mutt definitely. Pete, eh..." He made an iffy motion with his hand. "Not really sure about that. But most of all, Joe would eat it up like a bird's vag."_

_Steve snorted, "Nice imagery there, mate."_

_Sav smiled, "I try."_

_A moment later, the two were cuddling in bed as the red sky slowly disappeared. They needed more moments like this, Steve realised. Peaceful mornings spent in bed with his lover, no worries about being caught and hiding evidence. Even better that he didn't have to sneak in through the window, unlike what Sav would have to do if they were over at Steve's house instead. Sav's parents had long since stopped minding them being together, so long as they weren't too loud at night. Steve's parents, on the other hand, would straight up murder him if they so much as caught word of him being with another man. Fuck sake, he was a grown adult. They didn't have any say in what he did anymore. He was happy he would finally be moving out soon so he wouldn't have to put up with it._ It took a little longer than he liked, but the two were able to get a flat to themselves.

_The bassist rolled over, laying his head on Steve's chest. "You really should sing more, Steve."_

_"Sweetheart, I can't so much as stand in front of an audience, never mind sing, without getting stagefright."_

_"You have a wonderful voice, though," Sav pleaded. "I'm not sure how to describe it --"_ He would later say that he sounded like an English version of James Hetfield with a slightly richer tone. _"--but I know for certain if others heard you, their jaws would drop in awe."_

_Steve chuckled a little. "You're sugarcoating it again, love."_

_"Maybe a little." Sav snuggled up closer to him. "But I mean it. People would really love your voice."_

_"I can't bring myself to sing in front of other people. I just can't do it."_

_Sav raised an eyebrow. "What about me, then?"_

_He never really thought about that. But now that he did, he realised something. He had actually sung in front of Sav many times without a problem. It seemed like as long as Sav was around, stagefright didn't exist. Alcohol normally did that, but rarely any of those times was Steve actually intoxicated. A number of different reasons ran through his head, but he couldn't for the life of him determine which one explained it._

_"Maybe I have a voice meant for your ears only," the guitarist smirked._

_Sav playfully punched his arm, giggling. "If that's true, then I'm really special."_

_'Special in more ways than one,' Steve thought. He smiled and kissed his lover's forehead, all while thinking he was the luckiest man on Earth to have him._

He opened his eyes. The sky was now orange and quickly turning blue. Sav loved looking out at the morning skies way back in the day. If only he were here with him. They could've enjoyed the red sunrise together. But that was the bad thing. Sav and the others likely didn't know that Gensoukyo existed, nor did they know that Steve was still alive. He wished they did. Maybe they could've visited. Sakuya always wanted to meet them, since when he first arrived, he never really stopped talking about them. He chuckled at the thought of Joe flirting with her. He would. Though he wasn't sure how the maid would react to it. She'd most likely pull a knife on him. It could go so many ways at that point.

Steve sorely wished he could reunite with his friends again. With Sav. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised he wouldn't be able to. Not for a long, long while, if at all.

"You seem lost in thought, Kuraku."

"Huh?" He turned his head to see his employer standing, or rather floating, beside him. "An old memory," he replied.

Remilia cocked her head to the side. "From your time in the outside world, I presume?"

He nodded.

"A red morning," the vampire turned her attention out the window, Steve following her gaze. Meiling had finally woken up to some degree, actually standing upright at her post for once. "It really is a shame it can't last longer," she mused. "I hope your memory was a good one."

Steve smiled, "Indeed it was."

Remilia hummed before leaving him by the window. Steve continued to stare out at the sky as the last streaks of red and orange disappeared, finally turning light blue.

"Will you be joining us?" Remilia asked.

The question broke his concentration. Steve looked over to see her and Sakuya waiting for him by the library door. "Coming, milady." With a final glance outside, he joined his employer and coworker, the three entering the library.

And so began another day at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.


End file.
